Process for reclaiming oil from metal chips



April 13 1926.

C. H. HAPGOOD PROCESS FOR RECLAIMING OIL, FROM METAL CHIPS Filed Sept. 6, 1923 WIT/V588."

yrus Qugyr a o ATTOIPAEK Patenteid Apr. 13, 192 6.

UNITED STATES/P TENT OFFICE.-

\ onus r rowann Bassoon, or NUTLEY, NEW .nmsnx, ASSIGNOR :ro THE-DE LAVAL snramron comrmx, on NEW YORK, N; Y., A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

\ v PRQCES FOR RECLAIMING OIL FROM METAL CHIPS.

Application filed September 0, 1928. Serial No. 661,148.

To-aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRUs HOWARD HAP- ooon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nutley, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes for Reclaiming Oil from -Metal Chips, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference 'b'ein had to the accompanying 1 drawings, Whi'c form a part of this specification. I y

In machining operations involving the use 'of cutting oil, a great deal of oil adheres to the ,metal shavings and chips. In large plants the volume of oil thus carried away may amount to hundreds of gallons-per day.

' It'is found to be economical to devote considerable labor and expense to the reclaiming of this oil. One of the most successful and economical of these reclaimingi opera tions comprises a crusher -for brea ing up the long shavings and reducing them to chips small enough to be readily handled.

. A mass of these chips is then introduced into a centrifugal basket or extractor, into which steam is introduced. The steam or water of condensation drives theoi'l off the metal surfaces and water and .oil are discharged from 4 retain more or less oil at the conclusion of the centrifugal" operation. Notwithstanding the expense, and the incom lete recovery of oil, the proportion of oil rec aimed is, considerable and its value exceeds the expense of recovery.

The object of my invention is to provide a new process whereby the expense of installation of reclaiming machlnery and the amount of manual labor required will be much reduced, the chips will be treated continuously instead of being handled in batches, and the proportion of oil 'reclaime will be materally increased, 1

thrown by centrifugal force. These pockets.

metal surfaces for the oil.

tegrator, extends a chute d communicatng with the higher end of the drum. The'drum may be rotated by any conveniegt means,

such as a sprocket chain 6 extending from a sprocket wheel the bottom of the lower end of the drum,,extends upward ly, through and above the top of the tank, a conveyor k of any approved type. The tank I) should be closed, except to allow the extension thereinto of the chute d, the driving chain f and the conveyork, and except for an opening 71 for hot water and an overfor water and oil, as hereinon a driving shaft g. From flow opening 1 after described.

Beneath and beyond the upper end of the conveyor his a pivoted platform is, held normally in a horizontal position by means of a weight m, but adapted to drop into the inclined position shown in broken lines when a given weight of material is deposited thereon. The platform is perforated to allow drainage into a chamber n, which ma communicate with the interior of the tank I). A car 0, or any other convenient receiver, is positioned to receive the material discharged from the platform when the latter is tilted.

The operation of theapparatus described is as follows: The metallic shavings, etc.,' are reduced to chips in the crusher or disintegrator a and passdown the chute d into the cylinder 0, which continuously rotates at a low rate of speed. The entire cylinder is immersed in a body'of Water, which should be heated to a fairly high temperature, say about 180 F. The water level, as shown in the drawing, is maintained constant by the overflow outlet 7'.

B 'the'rotation of the cylinder 0 the chips in tie cylinder are moreor less agitated to expose their surfaces to the action of the hot water, which has a greater affinity than the The released or washed ofl oil, by reason of its lower specific gravity, floats to the upperpart of the drum which my the tank, beneath and beyond ter opposite the outlet.

The metal chips, almost completely free from oil, are carried up by the conveyor h and deposited on the platform is, where the water, with any oil carried in suspension thereby, drain into the chamber 11. After a suflicient weight of oil-free chips accumulates on the platform k, it tilts and deposits its contents into the car 0, the weight an immediately afterward returning the platform is to its normal position; I

' The oil and water mixture outflowing through the orifice j, flows through a pipe p into a centrifugal separator or purifier s. This separator is of the closed bowl type, of which a good example is found in Fig. 1 of a patent issued to me July 3, 1923, No. 1,460,718. In this centrifuge the oil 'and water are separated by centrifugal force, the oil being discharged into a receiver 'r, while the water, containing a little oil, is dis charged into a receiver t, and is thence pumped through a pipe to into the hot water supply pipe communicating with the tank 1nlet z.

The advantages of my new process are as.

follows:

. The process is continuous and practically automatic and involves no manual labor other than that incidental to general oversight.

An almost complete reclamation of the oil is secured. The moderate agitation to which the metal into repeated contact with the hot water, which'is as effective as steam. in removing the oil. Any very small percentage of oil that is carried, with the water, on the chips discharged by the conveyor, drains off and is conserved. Any oil that is discharged by the centrifugal bowl from the water outlet is returned to the tank. During no part of the process',therefore, can. any measurable quantity of oil escape.

The apparatus required is inexpensive. The tank, cylinder, chute, conveyor and tilting weighted platform, are simple 'mechanical elements and can be cheaply'constr'ucted and assembled. The cost of these is much less than the cost of a basket centrifuge, traveling crane and other apparatus required in the most effective prior process.

It is obvious thatthe process can be carried out in apparatus other than the one described, which, however, is especially well adapted for the purpose.

mean to include, as equivalents, all oilwashes that may be advisable or' necessary to substitute for hot water, in order to operate the process effectively.

Having now fully-described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: I

1. The steps in the process of reclaiming oil from metal chips, which comprises feeding the chi as into a body of hot water, progressively. ceding the'chips forward as they are fed to the body of water and during their forward feed subjecting them to agitation, whereby the hot water removes the oil from the chips as they advance, continuously floating off the oil rising to the surface of the body of water, and continuously withdrawing from the body of water the chips at the forward end of the progressively moving stream of chips.

2. The process of reclaiming oil from metal chips, which-comprises feeding the chips into a body of hot water, progressive-- ly feeding the chips forward as they are fed to the body of water and during their forward feed subjecting them to agitation, whereby the hot water removes the oil from the chips as they advance, continuously withdrawing from the body of water the chips at the forward end of the continuously moving stream of chips, allowing the'oil'to overflow from the body of water, subjecting the oil to the action of centrifugal force to se arate therefrom any water that overflows with. the oil, and returning the separated I water to the tank. the chips are subjected brings every area of the chips to the body of water, subjecting the oil that has floated off to the action of centrifugal force to separate therefrom any water that overflows with the oil, and returning the separated water to the tank; thereby insuring against the loss of any of the oil.

4. The steps in the process of reclaiming oil from metal chips, which comprises feeding the chi s into a body of hot water, progressively eeding the chips forward as they are fed to the body of water and during their forward feed subjecting them to agitamamas withdrawing from the body of water the chips at the forward end of the continuousl moving stream of chips, and guiding the 011 freed from and rising through the water above the chipsin a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the stream of chips and toward the surface of the body of water, and

continuously floating ofl" the oil from the 1 surface to which it is guided as specified.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto setmy hand, at New York, on this 28th day of August, 1923.

CYRUS HOWARD HAPGOOD. 

